52 in 52 Week 36: Charles Dickens by Lucinda Dickens Hawksley

This book, written by the great-great-great granddaughter of Dickens, is a visual feast in honor of the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens. Here is what Amazon.UK says about it:

"Charles Dickens" is the definitive illustrated guide to the man and his works. It follows Dickens from early childhood, including his time spent as a child labourer, and looks at how he became the greatest celebrity of his age - and how he still remains recognized as one of England's greatest celebrities, even in the twenty-first century. The book also takes an intimate look at what he was like as a husband, a father, a friend and an employer; at his longing to be an actor, at his travels across North America, his year spent living in Italy and his great love of France. Alongside Dickens himself, readers will meet his fascinating family and his astonishing circle of friends - and will discover when and how life and real-life personalities were imitated in Dickens' art. The cast of characters in "Charles Dickens" embraces an incredible array of famous - and occasionally infamous - Victorians. This exploration is made all the more special by the inclusion of rare, removable facsimile items from Dickens's life, including his hand corrected proof manuscripts and his original design for his writing table.

You have to buy it through sellers in the US, and it is spendy:

http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Dickens-Lucinda-Hawksley/dp/0233003290

It is only sold through amazon.co.uk. But it is so beautiful! There are replicas of actual manuscripts tucked inside pockets. 


Thankfully my library had it, and I was the fifth person to check it out. Sadly, it came the day before I was to leave on vacation. So, I interrupted my reading of Hard Times (I figured Charles would not mind) and read it in the car on our two hour round trip to Eugene and back and feasted! 


If you are a lover of Dickens, you will LOVE this book!!!!